Wildcats Set For Wednesday Skirmish With Rival Redhawks

Regionally ranked Daemen looking for ninth straight win overall, 11th straight conference win

2/1/2022 10:30:00 AM

GAME #21
Daemen Wildcats (14-6, 11-0 ECC) vs. Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks (7-7, 5-4 ECC)
Wednesday, Feb. 2 | 8 p.m. | Voller Athletic Center | Rochester, N.Y.

Watch (ECC Network)
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Game Notes (PDF)

JUMP BALL
The Thruway Rivalry resumes Wednesday night as Daemen rides the region's longest winning streak into Rochester to face the Roberts Wesleyan Redhawks. Daemen is among the hottest teams in the country, having won nine straight games. The Wildcats are a perfect 11-0 in ECC play for the first time ever and have won 18 of their last 20 ECC games dating back to the start of last season. Their recent success has propelled them to a No. 5 ranking in the D2SIDA East Region Media Poll this week.

RELOADED
Daemen returns 11 players, including all five starters, from their regional championship team – players responsible for 98% of scoring, 99% of rebounding and assists from a season ago. None is bigger, both literally and figuratively, than center Andrew Sischo who returns for a fifth collegiate season after averaging 26.9 points and 13.0 rebounds per game last season. Fellow All-ECC picks Sean Fasoyiro (13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9 apg) and Kyle Harris (12.5 ppg, 39% 3PT) also return, along with Ryan Salzberg (8.6 ppg, 36% 3PT) and Andrew Mason (12.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 49% 3PT).

A MAGICAL RUN
The Wildcats earned their third consecutive NCAA tournament berth and captured their first regional title last March. After entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional, the Wildcats ran to an 81-69 win over third-seeded Bloomfield in the regional semifinals, marking the program's first-ever NCAA tournament victory. The Wildcats followed up with a 71-70 defeat of top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas in the regional final, avenging a loss just nine days prior in the ECC Championship final. Andrew Sischo was named the Most Outstanding Player of the East Regional after netting 25 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the final. The Wildcats' run came to an end just over a week later in Evansville, Indiana where they suffered a 97-83 loss in the Elite Eight to top-seeded and eventual national runner-up West Texas A&M. The Wildcats finished with a 10-6 overall record and were ranked ninth in the final D2SIDA national media poll.

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
Graduate student Andrew Sischo is arguably the most decorated Daemen student-athlete of all-time. He is the active scoring (2,673) and rebounding (1,368) leader among all NCAA Division II players. A two-time consensus All-American, Sischo is coming off his finest season to date as he averaged career-highs in scoring (26.9 ppg – a Daemen single season record) and rebounding (13.0 rpg). Sischo has scored 10+ points in 85 of his last 86 games, and has gone for 20+ points in 32 of his last 41 contests. He has 77 double-doubles in 124 career games and has led Division II in double-doubles in each of the last two seasons. Sischo was named the East Conference Preseason Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth time.

MILESTONE MOMENTS
It's been another season filled with milestone moments for Daemen big man Andrew Sischo. In the course of the season, he has:

vs. MSU Moorhead (10/29) – became Daemen's all-time leading rebounder
vs. Colorado Mesa (10/30) – became the ECC's all-time leading scorer
vs. Pace (1/5) – recorded 2,500th career point
vs. D'Youville (1/8) – became the ECC's all-time leading rebounder; became the all-time leading scorer from a WNY collegiate institution

Sischo became Daemen's all-time scoring leader last season and is the first player in program history to reach 2,000 points. He is only the second player in ECC history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, and he already holds Daemen and ECC records for career field goals (1,051).

IN THE NCAA RECORD BOOK
Star center Andrew Sischo has recently entered the NCAA Division II record book for both scoring and rebounding. During Daemen's game against Pace on Jan. 5, Sischo became just the 34th player in NCAA Division II history to reach 2,500 points in a career. With 2,673 points, he ranks 21st all-time. Sischo is on pace to reach 2,800 points, something only 17 other Division II players have achieved. He also ranks eighth for career rebounding with 1,368 boards. Sischo has a chance to finish his career among the top five rebounders in Division II history.

THE EMPIRE STATE'S CENTER
On Jan. 8 at D'Youville, Andrew Sischo passed Niagara legend Calvin Murphy for the most points scored by a men's basketball player at a Western New York collegiate institution. On Jan. 28 vs. Staten Island, he passed Geneseo's Scott Fitch to become the all-time leading scorer for all NCAA men's basketball programs in NY State.

All-Time Scoring – NY State NCAA Teams
1. Andrew Sischo, Daemen (2,673)
2. Scott Fitch, Geneseo (2,634)
3. Terrance Bailey, Wagner (2,591)
4. Mike Hoyt, Mt. St. Mary (2,586)
5. Calvin Murphy, Niagara (2,548)
6. Steve Burt, Iona (2,534)
7. Charles Jenkins, Hofstra (2,513)

RETURN OF THE MAC
Mike MacDonald returns for his eighth season on Daemen's bench and his 25^th overall as a collegiate head coach. The veteran mentor has led Daemen to a 153-63 record since taking the reins in 2014. The Wildcats rank second in victories among all East Coast Conference and New York State Division II teams in that span. He has won more games at Daemen than during previous stints as the head coach at Canisius (108 wins in nine seasons) and Medaille (149 wins in eight seasons). MacDonald is among an elite fraternity of coaches to have achieved 100 victories across all three NCAA divisions. Daemen's 81-72 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Dec. 8 was the 400th of his career.

DEFENDING THE DEN
Success on their home floor has been a staple of Daemen's rise within the NCAA Division II ranks. The Wildcats have won 10+ home games in eight of the last 10 seasons, including identical 15-1 records during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns which established a new program benchmark for homecourt victories. Dating back to the 2017-18 season, Daemen has won 49 of their last 54 home games. Since joining the ECC (2013-14 season), Daemen is 64-10 in home conference games (.865 win %). The Wildcats are also 77-14 at home during the program's NCAA era (.846 win %). In the past 21 seasons, the Wildcats have won 83% of all home games, going 232-47.

ALL IN THE FAMILY
Daemen's most high profile roster addition came in the form of 6-foot-5 guard Nick MacDonald, the son of head coach Mike MacDonald, who elected to transfer after two seasons at Division I Niagara. The younger MacDonald provides another three-point shooting option to an already potent team. The Wildcats ranked second in the ECC and 32^nd nationally last season by averaging 9.6 made three-pointers per game. MacDonald shot 35% from deep and connected on 50 three-pointers in his two seasons with the Purple Eagles. Daemen is 5-1 this season when MacDonald scores 10+ points.

IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Guards Sean Fasoyiro and Andrew Mason each made immediate contributions during their first season with the program in 2020-21. Fasoyiro was a first-team All-ECC and NABC All-District selection after finishing second on the team in scoring (13.9) and rebounding (7.1) while leading the squad in assists (3.9). Fasoyiro, a graduate transfer from Franklin Pierce, is competing in a fifth collegiate season with 97 games of playing experience under his belt to start the year. Mason burst on the scene as a freshman and started all 16 contests. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while leading the ECC in three-point field goal accuracy (.487).

BACK FOR MORE
Like teammates Andrew Sischo and Sean Fasoyiro, Buffalo native Kyle Harris elected to utilize an additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harris, who began his career at Erie Community College, has appeared in 61 games and made 36 starts (27 consecutive). He was a Second Team All-ECC selection in 2020-21 when he averaged 12.5 points per game.

TEXAS-SIZED CHALLENGES
Daemen opened the season with three high-profile contests in Canyon, Texas as part of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic held over Halloween weekend. The Wildcats knocked off Minnesota State Moorhead, 67-63, in the opener, thanks to the play of Nick MacDonald (17 points) and Andrew Sischo (16 points, 15 rebounds). The Dragons were ranked No. 25 in the D2SIDA preseason poll and picked to finish first in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. It marked the 18th time in the last 20 seasons that Daemen has started 1-0. A pair of losses to nationally ranked team followed. No. 4 Colorado Mesa got the best of the Wildcats, 76-65, using a 27-6 second-half spurt to erase a nine-point halftime deficit. Sischo was held to nine points, snapping a string of 67 consecutive double-figure games. The All-American big man was hampered by foul trouble and limited to 19 minutes – his lowest minute total since playing 10 against New York Tech on Dec. 16, 2018, a game he left due to an injury. Sischo returned to form in the tournament finale, finishing with 18 points and 15 boards, but it wasn't enough to lead Daemen past No. 3 West Texas A&M. In a rematch of last season's Elite Eight meeting. The Buffs came out on top again, this time by just three points (69-66). Sean Fasoyiro's tying three-point attempt fell short as the buzzer sounded. Both Sischo and Fasoyiro were named to the All-Tournament Team.

SUSTAINED SUCCESS
The Daemen program has been built on sustained success, winning at least 19 games in nine of the last 10 seasons. That span encompasses the end of Daemen's NAIA Era, its' NCAA transition period and the first six seasons of full NCAA Division II membership. The Wildcats have won 72% of their contests, going 220-85 in that span. Looking more recently, Daemen is 94-34 since the start of the 2017-18 season (.734 winning percentage).

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
Daemen has earned three consecutive NCAA tournament berths. The Wildcats won 24 games (NCAA Era program record) and earned at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2020. The Wildcats entered the 2021 tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Region and picked up their first-ever NCAA tourney win with an 81-69 defeat of third-seeded Bloomfield en route to the program's first regional championship and Elite Eight appearance.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY
Daemen's 2021-22 schedule will provide plenty of tests. The Wildcats are slated to play games against seven teams who were ranked in either the NABC or D2SIDA preseason national polls: Minnesota State Moorhead, Colorado Mesa, West Texas A&M, Mercyhurst, West Liberty, Saint Anselm, St. Thomas Aquinas. Daemen has recorded two wins over top-25 ranked teams in each of the last three seasons.

BACK ON TRACK
Daemen was able to get back on track following the team's first three-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over ECC-newcomer Staten Island (80-61) and regionally ranked Saint Rose (83-71). The Nov. 23 win over CSI put Daemen at 1-0 in ECC play for the fourth straight season and allowed the Wildcats to avoid their first four-game slide since 2010-11. Daemen played their most complete game of the season in defeating previously unbeaten Saint Rose on Nov. 27, finishing with season-highs in points, field goal percentage (.478) and assists (19). Big man Andrew Sischo was particularly dominant, averaging 30.5 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 70% from the field (25-for-36) in the two victories.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Daemen missed a golden opportunity for a win over a top-25 team when they suffered a 63-61 setback at #7/#4 West Liberty on Nov. 29. The Wildcats led for more than 32 minutes and held the high octane Hilltoppers under 70 points for the first time since 2018, but it wasn't enough as the hosts forced 21 turnovers and overcame a seven-point halftime deficit. Daemen was attempting to hand WLU just its sixth loss in a non-conference home game over the last 18 seasons. It marked Daemen's second loss by three points or fewer to a nationally ranked opponent this season.

BEASTS OF THE EAST
Daemen owns a 127-40 record (.760 winning percentage) in games against East Region opponents since the start of the 2014-15 season. That includes a combined 27-9 mark (.750 winning percentage) against affiliates of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and Northeast 10 Conference.

GROUNDING THE REDHAWKS
Daemen's 81-72 win over Roberts Wesleyan on Dec. 8 was their 30th of the last 32 meetings dating back to the 2007-08 season. That includes wins in 13 straight meetings at Lumsden Gymnasium.

BUFFALO'S BIGGEST STAGE
For the second time in the last three seasons, Daemen got the opportunity to play at the KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo. The 19,000-seat arena has served as the host site for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament six times since opening in 1996 in addition to being the home of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Daemen's most recent trip was not as successful as the first. The Wildcats dropped an 83-81 decision to regionally ranked Franklin Pierce on Dec. 18. The game was played as part of the Big Four Basketball Tripleheader which also featured Division I contests between Niagara and Albany and also Canisius and Buffalo. Daemen made their KeyBank Center debut with an 83-81 win over Wilmington on Nov. 23, 2019. Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald is the all-time leader in coaching wins in the building with an 18-12 record there.

COVID RAGES ON
Daemen has had seven games affected by COVID-19 protocols this season. Upon returning from their season-opening trip to Texas, the Wildcats were forced into a pause of team activities that cost them a pair of exhibition games (Nov. 4 at Buffalo, Nov. 8 vs. Medaille) as well as two home games which were to be played as part of the East Region Challenge (Nov. 12 vs. USciences, Nov. 13 vs. Bentley). COVID-19 again came into play following the NCAA-mandated holiday break as the Wildcats lost home games with Stonehill (Dec. 30) and Saint Anselm (Jan. 1) as well as a road contest at Clarion (Jan. 3).

SETTING THE PACE
Daemen returned to action following a two-week hiatus and scored an 83-72 win over regionally ranked Pace on Jan. 5. The Setters were the eighth opponent Daemen has faced that has been ranked within their respective D2SIDA regional polls. Andrew Sischo scored 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and Nick MacDonald scored a season-high 18 points in 22 minutes off the bench. MacDonald and sophomore guard Andrew Mason accounted for eight of the Wildcats' season-high 11 three-pointers. The Wildcats came into the game averaging just 10.8 made free throws per game but posted season-highs in free throws made (22) and attempted (24) while outscoring Pace by 19 points at the charity stripe.

WNY'S DIVISION II RIVALRY
Western New York's newest rivalry wrote a new chapter Jan. 8 when the Wildcats scored a 92-76 win at D'Youville. Five players reached double figures, led by Andrew Sischo (36 points) and Kyle Harris (18 points), as the Wildcats led from start to finish. D'Youville is competing in the ECC for a second season as their program continues to transition from Division III to Division II. It's been a one-sided rivalry to the point. Daemen has swept all four meetings since the start of last season by an average margin of 26.5 points. When the series resumed last season, it was the first meeting between the teams since 2004. Daemen is 10-0 all-time against the Saints.

A SWEET REMATCH
On Jan. 21, Daemen picked up a 73-61 win at St. Thomas Aquinas in a rematch of both the ECC Championship and East Regional finals from a season ago. Kyle Harris sunk five three-pointers and scored a season-high 19 points to lead the way. Sean Fasoyiro netted 15 points and Andrew Sischo contributed yet another double-double (12 points, 16 rebounds) as the Wildcats never trailed. The Wildcats and Spartans have developed one of the ECC's best rivalries in recent years with Daemen winning four of the last seven meetings. STAC secured its fifth ECC title in the last six seasons with an 83-67 win over the Wildcats last March. Daemen exacted revenge just over a week later in the regional finals, also known as the "Sweet 16", winning 71-70 at the Albany Capital Center to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time in the program's NCAA era. The programs rank first (STAC) and second (Daemen) in wins among ECC and all NY State Division II teams since the start of the 2013-14 season. In that span, Daemen is one of only two teams with four wins at STAC's Aquinas Hall (also Bridgeport).

HAVE MERCY
Daemen's 76-59 win Jan. 23 at Mercy pushed the Wildcats to 17-0 all-time against the Mavericks. It is Daemen's longest active winning streak against any single opponent. In the series, 12 of the 17 meetings have been decided by 10 points or more, including the last five in a row. Daemen also owns a pair of one-point wins over the Mavericks. Mercy is one of four ECC teams that Daemen has won at least a nine-game active winning streak against (10 straight wins vs. D'Youville and Queens, 9 straight wins vs. District of Columbia).

WHAT'S TRENDING

Kyle Harris has scored in double figures in six of the last 11 games, averaging 10.7 points in that span. Harris has connected on 19 of his last 40 three-point attempts (47.5%).
Andrew Mason has made at least two three-pointers in 16 of his 18 games this season. Mason leads the ECC and ranks fourth nationally in three-point shooting percentage (49.5%). He also ranks fourth in the ECC with 45 three-point field goals.
Sean Fasoyiro has a team-high 63 assists this season (seventh in the ECC). Daemen is 10-2 this season Fasoyiro records at least three assists (4-4 when he does not).
Andrew Sischo continues to lead the ECC in both scoring (22.5 ppg) and rebounding (13.3 rpg). He is the only ECC player averaging a double-double.
Daemen has made 10 or more three-pointers in five of the last eight games. The Wildcats are shooting 43.9% from downtown (76-for-173) in that span. Daemen leads the ECC in three-point field goal percentage (39.3%).
Daemen is among the best rebounding teams in the country with an average margin of +8.2 boards per game. In their nine-game winning streak, Daemen is out-rebounding opponents by 13.2 boards per game. Their +28 margin at St. Thomas Aquinas on Jan. 21 was their best since out-rebounding LIU Post by 29 (54-25) on Feb. 15, 2019.
Daemen is outscoring opponents by an average of 18.0 points per game during their nine-game winning streak.
Daemen has shot better than 50% from the field in five of the last six games. In that span, they are 181-for-345 (52.5%). The Wildcats shot a season-high 58% in the Jan. 23 win at Mercy.

SCOUTING ROBERTS WESLEYAN
Roberts Wesleyan is a member of the East Coast Conference and the Redhawks are led by fourth-year head coach Mark Saladzius. A former RWC player and assistant coach, Saladzius has led the program to a 38-48 record since taking the reins from longtime head coach Rob McCoy. The Redhawks posted an 8-7 record during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign. They return 10 players and two starters.

The Redhawks are an even 7-7 through their first 14 games and are in the hunt for an ECC tournament berth. They've engaged in some tight battles this season, posting a 3-5 record in games decided by seven points or fewer. The Redhawks are coming off a five-point loss (86-81) to St. Thomas Aquinas this past Saturday.

Six players are averaging at least 10 points and the Redhawks rank 14th in the country for scoring offense (86.8 ppg). On the defensive side, they're allowing opponents to shoot 46.6% from the field (240th in Division II) and surrendering 86.6 points per game (290th).

Redshirt sophomore guard Ja'Kair Sanchez is the author of three 20-point outings and is averaging a team-high 13.6 points per game. Junior guard Amari Lee (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg) is among the most productive all-around players in the ECC and he leads RWC in rebounding and assists.

With guards Shane Fanning (13.0 ppg, 27 3PT FG) and Rian Carter (13.0 ppg, 34 3 PT FG) leading the way, RWC ranks second in the ECC for three-point field goals made per game (9.0). Additional production is coming from Abou Ghane (10.1 ppg) and Kevon Wright (7.5 ppg). Wright netted a team-high 14 points in the recent loss to STAC and is averaging 11.4 points over the last five games.

SERIES HISTORY VS. ROBERTS WESLEYAN
All-Time Series: 45-13
At Roberts Wesleyan: unknown
Current Streak: Won 3
Last Meeting: Daemen 81, Roberts Wesleyan 72 | Dec. 8, 2021 | at Amherst, N.Y.

DID YOU KNOW?
Did you know that RWC's 80-75 win on Feb. 11, 2021 snapped Daemen's 20-game winning streak in the series? Daemen enters Wednesday's game having won 14 of the last 15 meetings at the Voller Athletic Center.

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